Domino is a game in which one player can score points by laying dominoes end to end. The pips on the exposed ends must match, or the total may be a multiple of five.
Developing domino strategies is crucial to winning games. These strategies will help you maximize the outcomes that you can control and mitigate the effects of what you cannot control.
Origins
A domino is a small, rectangular game piece that has anywhere from zero to six dots. Its ends are numbered and it can be stood up in lines or angular patterns to create games of chance or strategy. Dominos have been played worldwide for centuries. They are thought to have originated in Italy in the 1700s and spread throughout Europe and the world. The name “domino” may have been derived from a hooded cape in black with white lining worn by priests.
Each domino originally mimicked one of the 21 results of throwing two six-sided dice. Its ends were numbered and its duplicates divided into two suits of military and civil. It is believed that Chinese domino sets were longer than European ones. Most domino games are either blocking games or scoring games.
Rules
Like playing cards, dominoes have a number of pips on each end that identify them. The pips are usually arranged in an arrangement similar to those on a die. Most domino games involve a line of play in which the open ends of one tile must match with the open end of another tile to make a play. Players are awarded points as they complete a play that results in the total of the exposed pips on the dominoes in the line of play being a multiple of 3 or a multiple of 5.
Before each game, a player shuffles the tiles and thoroughly mixes them by moving them with his hands. Then he draws the number of tiles for his hand that is permitted by the rules of the particular game. The player who draws the heaviest domino (double or single) makes the first play.
Materials
Dominoes are made from a variety of materials and have been manufactured from various methods throughout the centuries. They are usually a robust, hard material and are characterized by their identifying mark which is an arrangement of spots, or pips, on the surface. The other side of the domino is either blank or patterned with a design.
Domino pieces are usually twice as long as they are wide and are made so that they can stand on their edge without toppling over. They are often carved in stone, marble or granite; woods (often ebony or mother-of-pearl); metals; ceramic clay; and even frosted glass or crystal. Today dominoes are primarily manufactured from plastic. However, a few manufacturers produce domino sets in natural materials. These sets are expensive and crafted from fine woods.
Variations
There are many variations of domino, but most fall into one of two categories: blocking games, in which the object is to empty your hand, and scoring games. Some examples include matador, in which you must play a number that totals seven when added to an end of another tile, and muggins, in which you score whenever the exposed ends of your dominoes add up to a multiple of five.
The swan drive Mexican Train variation speeds up the game by allowing players to play tiles on other players’ trains when they can. This also allows the line of play to branch, as doubles have value on both sides of the train. This is similar to the way Chickenfoot works, in which a player may play a tile on any other open public train moving clockwise.
Scoring
There are two major categories of domino play: blocking games and scoring games. In blocking games the players attempt to empty their hand while stopping the other player from playing. In scoring games, such as bergen and muggins, the value of each domino is determined by counting the pips (or spots) on both ends.
A domino with one end containing a number that is divisible by five or three counts as a scoring unit. For each of these units, the player receives one game point. A scoring version of the game, called 5s-and-3s, is played in a variety of competitive leagues throughout Britain. A running total of the players’ scores is kept on a cribbage board. Each game ends when one player is “out”, i.e., has played all of their tiles.